Chapter 775
Chapter 775:
“Ideally, the queen doesn’t look like she’s about to vomit,” Victoria quipped from the driver’s seat, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. She glanced at me in the mirror, her expression softening despite the tension. “We made it, Skye. The vault is gone. The Architect’s leverage is ash p>
“He loves his leverage,” I said. “And Alistair isn’t just a bodyguard. He sees the threats we missed p>
“I know.” And I did. Alistair Thorne was the darkness that embraced my own. He was the shield and the sword.
“Good. Because we have miles to go before we sleep,” Liam said from beside me. He was cleaning a gash on his arm, his tuxedo jacket discarded on the floor. “The Summer Home is two hours out. If Richard is right, that’s where the backup servers are p>
My stomach did that thing—a somatic twist, a physical knot tightening. I glanced to the far side of the backseat, where my father, Richard Sterling, sat quietly. He looked frail, his skin pale against the dark leather interior, but his eyes were alert as he clutched his tablet like a lifeline. I reached out and squeezed his hand, a silent gratitude to Victoria for her foresight.
“I still can’t believe you got him out,” I whispered to Victoria, my voice trembling slightly. “Amidst all that chaos at the hotel p>
“I didn’t wait for the explosion,” Victoria said, her eyes fixed on the desert road. “The moment the signal went dark in the casino, I knew it was time. I had Richard in the car and the engine running before the first alarm bell rang. I wasn’t going to leave him as a consolation prize for the Syndicate p>
Richard offered a weak, grateful smile. “She drives with the same ferocity she uses in the boardroom. I was in good hands p>
“Give me the status,” I said, refocusing on the mission.
Liam handed me the tablet. On the screen, the code we had uploaded—the Project Insight virus—was eating through the Syndicate’s network. It was breathtaking. Cold, precise, and undeniably effective. It screamed power.
“It’s stunning,” I breathed.
𝘕𝗮𝘃𝗂𝘨at𝗲 еа𝗌𝗂𝘭y o𝗇 𝖻𝘦𝗹ոо𝘃𝖾𝘭s.сo𝗺
“It is,” Liam agreed, running a finger over the cracked screen. “But it’s just the beginning p>
“Now the mystery,” Alistair said, looking at the GPS. “We’re heading into the desert. No signal, no backup p>
My fingers trembled as I took the water bottle Victoria passed back. I knew this desert. I had seen it in old photographs, in the archives of the Sterling estate before Arthur sold everything off.
I looked at the horizon.
A deep, abyssal blue was beginning to bleed into the sky as dawn approached. It wasn’t modern. It carried the weight of a century. It was the Sterling legacy—the land my grandmother had walked. It had been lost years ago to pay my father’s debts, but the Summer Home remained.
A silence settled over the car. No signature needed. Just the hum of the engine that I would recognize even if I were blind, and the sharp, angular turns as Victoria navigated the back roads.
Something old. Something blue.
We were returning to the rightful owner.
I wish you freedom, Skye.
Liam caught my eye.